The Family You Choose
by bashfulglowfly
Summary: Usagi is sent to live in Tokyo with her uncle and discovers that sometimes it's not the family that you are born into that loves you the most, it's the family that you choose.
1. Chapter 1

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter One**

"La la la! High School Girls! High School Girls! La la la!"

"Minako! Will you stop!" growled Makoto. "You sound like that pervert from 'Fruits Basket'!"

Minako just laughed and jumped on Makoto's back, hugging her neck. "You should be happy, happy, happy like me! We did it! We made it into high school!"

Ami laughed softly. "I take it you had doubts."

Minako grinned, let go of Makoto and wrapped an arm around Ami's shoulders. "No doubts about you! I knew you would make it. Makoto and I…well let's say it was a bit iffy there for awhile."

Makoto grinned. "I wasn't worried…not about making into high school. But I was worried what Ami would do to me if I didn't. Becoming an ice cube would not be fun."

Ami gasped. "I would never do that to you!"

Minako and Makoto laughed and both hugged their delicate sister. "We know." Said Minako. "And Rei made it too." Their fiery friend went to a private school that made it somewhat easier for its students to advance.

As the girls got closer to their new school, the sidewalks became crowded with other students heading in the same direction.

"Do you think that we'll be in the same class?" asked Makoto.

Ami shook her head. "Don't hold your breath. The chances of the three of us being in the same class are slim."

8888888

The three girls gazed at the board holding the class assignments. Minako looked at the other two. "The chances of being in the same class are not that slim apparently."

Ami was clearly shocked. "I have to say that I'm honestly surprised." She looked at her friends. "But I'm happy."

Makoto grinned back. "So am I!"

8888888

The three girls settled into seats along with several others. Ami and Makoto recognized a couple of students from their middle school and Minako recognized one from hers.

"What do you think of the guys in our class so far?" Whispered Makoto.

Minako sniffed. "Nothing to write a song about."

Makoto blinked confusedly while Ami covered her eyes and shook her head.

"Is this seat taken?" came a breathless voice.

The girls turned to look. The new voice was a girl with blonde hair twisted up into two buns on either side of her head and long ponytails trailing down to her knees.

Ami spoke first. "No, it isn't."

"Oh good." The girl plopped down into the seat with a sigh. She looked at the three friends with enormous blue eyes. "I didn't think I was going to make it! There is so much more traffic here than back home." She giggled. "Of course, pretty much everywhere has more traffic than back home!"

"Where are you from?" asked Makoto.

"Nanae, Hokkaido." Came the reply.

"Where's that?" asked Minako.

"Um, near Hakodate." The girl replied. "Oh, I'm Tsukino Usagi!"

Minako smiled. "I'm Aino Minako and this is Kino Makoto and Mizuno Ami." The other two girls raised their hands at their names.

"Nice to meet you." Said Usagi.

Minako grinned. "I'm sure we'll be come good friends in no time at all!" Ami and Makoto looked at her with surprise but then they also nodded.

Usagi nodded back. She started to reply but just then the teacher entered the classroom. "Rise! Bow! Good Morning!"

8888888

Usagi sat down next to Makoto. "Thank you for inviting me to have lunch with you." She looked around and smiled. "It's nice to be able to eat outside! It's so much warmer here than it is back home!"

"Why did you come to Tokyo, Usagi? It seems like an awfully long ways to come just to attend a public high school." Asked Ami.

Usagi looked down at her bento and poked at it then picked up a bite and ate it slowly. It was obvious to the other girls that she was a bit upset. "My parents thought that it would be good for me to live in Tokyo. That I would grow up and stop daydreaming." She said slowly. "They thought that I would have a better chance to meet a husband here. So, I was sent here to live with my uncle. My mother's brother."

Minako placed her hand gently on Usagi's arm. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "You feel like you're being punished, aren't you. Because you've been sent from everything and everyone that you know."

Usagi smiled tremulously and nodded. "It's difficult. I've never been outside of Nanae except for class trips. And never off Hokkaido. I don't want to be a bother to my uncle since he was kind enough to agree to let me live with him."

"Is your uncle nice? Is he treating you well?" asked Ami.

"Oh, he's very nice." Said Usagi. "He's an astrologer."

Ami frowned. "He's a fortune teller?"

Usagi shook her head, hair flying. "No, sorry, I used the wrong word. He's an astronomer! He studies the stars. He graduated from Keio University two years ago." She grinned. "Fortunately he doesn't get mad at me when I say he's an astrologer. He says that in ancient times being an astrologer was a honorable position in royal courts."

Minako looked at her. "Wait, he's your uncle and he graduated from Keio two years ago?"

Usagi nodded. "He's much younger than my mother. Thirteen years. He was a surprise."

Minako laughed. "I guess so!"

"What does the rest of your family do?" Asked Makoto.

Usagi looked down again and poked at the ground. "My parents own and run the local newspaper. My brother is going to a private school in Sapporo."

Ami frowned again. "Your brother is going to a private school in Sapporo but you're going to a public school here?"

Usagi didn't look at her and shrugged one shoulder. "It was my father's decision."

Before the other girls could ask any more questions, the bell rang and they had to run back to class.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Two**

"Usagi, would you like to go with us to our favorite place? It's an arcade but they have the best milkshakes there."

Usagi looked up from the books she was putting away. Her eyes studied them carefully. It was as if she was waiting for a blow to fall. "Sure. If you don't mind me tagging along."

Minako grinned. "Not at all. We want you to come. It's our responsibility to show new people the sights and sounds of Juuban!"

Ami laughed. "No it isn't but we do want you to join us!"

Makoto coaxed. "Please come. Call your uncle and tell him that you won't be getting home until later."

Usagi hesitated for a moment then said. "My uncle usually works late. I won't need to call."

Minako frowned while she listened with half an ear to Makoto and Ami telling Usagi about the arcade and Rei. Even though she has only known Usagi for a few hours, there was something there. She _needed_ to be around Usagi. She didn't know why, but there it was. And she knew that Usagi was hiding something. Minako was positive about that.

"So she's a priestess?" asked Usagi.

Makoto nodded, her auburn hair bobbing. "Yeah. Pretty good one too. You'll have to let her do a fire reading for you."

Usagi gave a small smile and waved a hand. "Oh, I'm not that important. There's nothing in my life worth really knowing."

888888

"So, how's college treating you?"

Mamoru looked at his best friend and took a sip of coffee. "It's barely started. It hasn't had chance to do anything to me yet."

Motoki grinned. "Well, just don't fall into a bad crowd."

Mamoru snorted. _If Motoki only knew. He'd never believe that I have a secret life._

Mamoru sighed. He had started dreaming of the girl again. It had been a couple years since he'd dreamed of her but two weeks ago the dreams started again. _She's even sadder than before. I wish there was some way that I could comfort her. But I can't get close to her even in my dreams._

The bell above the door rang cheerfully and Mamoru idly looked over and froze. _It's HER!_ Coming into the arcade with Minako, Ami, Rei and Makoto was the girl he'd been dreaming about ever since he could remember.

"Good afternoon, Motoki-nii and Mamoru-san!" called out Minako.

Mamoru didn't trust himself to speak but managed to nod cordially. Motoki grinned. "Good afternoon, ladies! I see that you have a new friend."

Makoto pulled the new girl forward. "This is Tsukino Usagi. She's originally from Nanae, near Hakodate. She's living here now and is going to our school. Usagi, this is Furuhata Motoki. He runs the arcade and he makes the best chocolate milkshakes."

Motoki smiled at Usagi. "Welcome to Tokyo, Usagi-chan."

Rei gestured to Mamoru. "And this is Chiba Mamoru. He's friends with Motoki-nii and he helps us with our studies."

"Hello, Usagi-chan. Welcome." Mamoru was amazed and pleased with himself that his voice came out even.

The blonde girl's sky blue eyes peeked at him through thick lashes, and she blushed as she murmured a shy hello.

Minako pulled Usagi toward a booth and the other girls followed. Motoki looked at Mamoru, "You've gotten another one."

Mamoru raised a dark eyebrow. "Another one…what?"

"Another girl. Girls just take one look at you and fall. At least Usagi-chan didn't grab hold of you like the girl last week did." Said Motoki. "I don't know how you manage to do it since you're a misogynist."

Mamoru glared. "I am NOT a misogynist. I just don't care to date every girl that crosses my path."

"Whatever."

8888888

Usagi tried not to stare too openly at the man at the counter. But from the moment she saw him, something deep inside her recognized him. She didn't understand why. She had never seen him before. But it was same feeling when she saw pictures of Tuxedo Kamen.

Minako stared at Usagi intently. She could feel her powers as the Senshi of Love react. There was a connection between Usagi and Mamoru. It was barely there and anything could destroy it. She knew that it was her duty to encourage that connection and make it stronger. Then she saw Rei looking back and forth between Mamoru and Usagi. "I've got to use the bathroom." She announced. "Rei, come with me."

Rei came along quietly which was surprising; Rei was not one to go along quietly if she didn't want to. The two girls, with quiet accord, quickly checked the bathroom stalls to make sure that they were alone.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Said Rei. "There is something between Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san."

Minako nodded. "There is something there. Something that connects the two of them."

"So, we just have to nurture it." Rei looked at her friend. "Usagi's hiding something."

"I know. It's something about her family." Said Minako. "But we barely know her so I don't want to push it. Hopefully when she's comfortable with us, she tell us."

Rei smiled. "So, we also nurture Usagi until she feels comfortable enough to confide in us."

888888

Over the next couple of weeks, the girls noticed little things about Usagi. Like she never talked much about her family but when she did it was things that her younger brother had accomplished and had been praised for. Never about anything good that she did.

They never saw her with a cell phone.

When they went shopping, Usagi never tried anything on nor did she ever buy anything. She usually wore her uniform but when she wore street clothes it seemed to be the same two t-shirts with jeans or the same dress.

Even Mamoru noticed. He spoke quietly to Minako who told him that they were trying to get Usagi to trust them but that they were taking it slowly. Mamoru only nodded and said that slow was good. He could tell that it was difficult for her to open up to people…he should know.

Mamoru even found out that Usagi was looking for a job…Motoki let is slip that she had asked him about job openings at the arcade.

Rei offered to do a fire reading for Usagi but she refused. And Rei didn't want to betray their budding friendship by going behind her back and doing one anyway.

Ami admitted that she was really tempted to use her computer to find out details about Usagi's parents and brother, but, like Rei, she didn't want to go behind Usagi's back.

They all began to have dreams. Dreams with Usagi in them. But she wasn't Usagi. She was someone extremely important to them but they didn't know why. They told Mamoru about the dreams and he told them he had been dreaming about her too.

Not knowing why Usagi was important and why all of them needed to be near her was driving them (figuratively speaking) slowly insane.

888888

One day at the temple while they were taking a break from studying for a history test, Usagi spoke. "Um, I was wondering if all of you would like to come to where I'm living to study tomorrow. I've told my uncle about all of you and he'd like to meet you."

Mamoru looked at her. "He knows about all of us?"

Usagi smiled. "Yes. He's not exactly happy about you. Especially since you're a university student."

Minako laughed. "He knows what those nasty male university students want!"

Mamoru shook a fist at her. Minako grinned unrepentantly. He turned back to Usagi. "I don't have a problem meeting your uncle."

"Neither do we." Said Ami. "It's good that he wants to know who your friends are."

Rei turned to Usagi. "We'll be happy to go and meet your uncle."

"Is he cute?" asked Makoto hopefully.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Three**

The next day everyone met outside Crown then walked to where Usagi lived with her uncle. It was an average looking apartment building but it was well maintained. The group took the elevator to Usagi's floor, walked down a bland corridor to the last apartment. Usagi opened the door and welcomed them inside.

It was a normal apartment with a galley kitchen and a living/dining room area and bedrooms down a short hallway. But what fascinated the group were the several pictures of the planets on the walls as well as the Moon. While all the planets were represented, Jupiter was the one that had the most photos.

Makoto turned to Usagi with a pleased smile on her face. "I'm guessing that your uncle likes Jupiter."

Usagi smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's his favorite planet."

"Which one is your favorite?" asked Mamoru.

Usagi walked over to one and laid gentle fingers on the frame. It was a photo of the Moon. "I like the Moon the best." She said softly. "Even if it's not a planet. I just think it's the prettiest." She shrugged embarrassed.

Ami smiled. "I guess we all have our favorites. What does your uncle think about Pluto being demoted to a dwarf planet?"

Usagi giggled. "I remember when that happened. He began shouting at the TV, calling those who voted fools and idiots and that they were going to be sorry when she shows up and kick their butts." She stopped smiling. "My father said that his reaction was ridiculous and uncalled for."

"What did your uncle mean by 'when she shows up'" asked Mamoru carefully.

Usagi shrugged. "I have no idea. Sometimes he talks as if the planets are real people." She looked around. "May I get you something to drink?"

888888

The girls and Mamoru settled at the low table and began to study. Ami and Mamoru took turns answering various questions and giving small hints to point the others in the right direction.

They got lost in their studies and were startled to hear the front door slam and a deep male voice call out. "Usagi, come help me. I stopped by the store and I got too much!"

Usagi scrambled to her feet but before she could get to the door, a man came into view. A tall man with long brown hair. He was trying to untangle the several bags in his hands and cursing under his breath.

The others could only stare in shock. It couldn't possible be him!

"Nobuyuki-nii!" Usagi's tone was half-scolding.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry but these damn bags are cutting off my circulation." Then he looked up.

_Nephrite!_

Usagi relieved him of several of the bags, not noticing that he was frozen in place staring back at the five people who were staring at him. "How much did you buy?"

Nephrite…no, Usagi called him Nobuyuki…shook himself back to reality. "Um, no idea actually. Once I got started, I couldn't stop. Hopefully we can eat it all before it spoils."

Usagi came back around and laid her hand on his arm. "Everyone, this is my uncle Takaki Nobuyuki. Nobuyuki-nii, these are my friends Aino Minako, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto they go to my school. Hino Rei, she attends a private school and Chiba Mamoru who goes to Keio University."

Nobuyuki nodded politely to all of them and they nodded back. He stared for a long moment at Makoto then turned his eyes to Mamoru. "Chiba, was it?" Mamoru nodded. "How are you liking Keio?"

"It's great. Very challenging." Replied Mamoru.

"That's good. We'll have to talk and see if you and I have some of the same professors."

"I'll help you get started on fixing dinner." Said Usagi.

Nobuyuki narrowed his blue eyes at her. "What were you in the middle of studying?"

"Math." Came the reluctant answer.

"Uh huh. Go back to studying." Nobuyuki looked at Makoto. "Makoto-chan, Usagi told me that you were a good chef. Perhaps you can help me?"

Makoto bit her lip then nodded, her auburn ponytail bobbing. "Sure. I'll be happy to." She grinned at Usagi's dejected expression.

Nobuyuki tugged lightly at her hair. "Math is important, kiddo."

"Yeah, yeah."

Nobuyuki followed Makoto into the kitchen. For a few minutes the pair quietly put items away in cupboards and the refrigerator. Makoto could feel his eyes on her but it didn't frighten her the way it should have. Instead it made her feel deliciously tingly. So she didn't flinch when he leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"Usagi has no idea as to who she really is!"

* * *

Author's note: I decided to have Usagi refer to Nephrite as Nobuyuki-nii rather than Nobuyuki-ojisan since there is only seven years between the two of them and Nephrite is FAR from being middle-aged.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Four**

Not long after they left Usagi's apartment, Minako turned to Makoto. "What did you and Nephrite talk about?" she demanded.

"Not here. Let's go to the temple. It's private there."

Makoto settled on the cushion with a sigh.

Rei's violet eyes were snapping with impatience. "We're here. Start talking, Makoto."

Makoto sighed and tugged on her ponytail. "Don't interrupt me until I'm finished. If you interrupt I might forget something. The first thing he said to me was 'Usagi has no idea as to who she really is!' I was startled but I managed ask what he meant. He told me that he knows who we are. He recognized us the minute he saw us. Nephrite asked if we felt anything when we were around Usagi. I told him that we felt close to her. That being around her was wonderful and the right thing and that being near her was the right place for us to be.

"That's when he told me who she was. She's Serenity. The Princess of the Moon. Beloved of Endymion."

The others gasped and stared. Mamoru lowered his head to his knees. "That explains a lot." He muttered. He thought of the very explicit dreams he'd been having recently.

"No kidding." Said Ami.

Makoto continued. "Usagi is in Tokyo because her mother's husband hates her. Usagi doesn't know it but her 'father' is not really her father. Her mother got pregnant when she was at university but doesn't know who got her pregnant. So her parents married her off to Kenji. But Kenji has never bothered to hide the fact that he's not happy raising some other man's child. But, like I said, Usagi doesn't know the reason why.

"No matter how hard Usagi tries, she can't do anything that will please her father. If her mother is pleased with her, she doesn't show it because Kenji will disapprove. Her brother, her half brother on the other hand is the pampered prince. He can do absolutely no wrong. That's why he's attending a private school and she's attending a public one.

"Nephrite said that he thinks that Usagi will eventually remember who she really is. And when she takes her rightful place, there is no way in hell he is EVER going to let her so-called family get anywhere near her. That's it. That's all he told me." Said Makoto.

"So he didn't explain why he's even alive?" asked Mamoru.

Makoto shook her head. "Nope. I didn't even think to ask. What I did tell him is that Usagi doesn't have a cell phone and that we think that she's looking for a part time job and that we don't think that she has much in the way of clothing."

"Well. It's a start." Said Minako.

"What do you mean?" asked Ami.

Minako looked at her friends. The normally bubbly blonde was extremely serious. "If Nephrite is alive…what about the other Shitennou?"

888888

Nobuyuki called out. "Usagi, why don't you take your bath? It's been a long day and you've studied hard. You're probably tired."

Usagi peeked out of her room. "Thank you. I will. It has been a long day."

Nobuyuki waited until he heard splashing coming from the bathroom then entered Usagi's bedroom.

888888

Usagi came out of the bathroom still drying her hair and walked into her bedroom…and froze.

Nobuyuki was sitting on her bed gazing at her open closet and drawers to the dresser. He turned his head and looked at her. His blue eyes were cold. "Two school uniforms, one dress, one pair of jeans, two t-shirts, one pair of school shoes, one pair of sneakers and not even a week's worth of panties, bras and socks."

He stood up and walked over to her. "You told me when you got here that your mother would be sending the rest of your things later on. You lied to me didn't you? There isn't anything else. This is all that you have."

Usagi began to shake and tears rolled down her face.

Nobuyuki's face melted and he wrapped his arms around his niece pulling her close. "Oh, Princess. My poor Princess."

Usagi clung to him and began to sob. "Why don't they love me? What did I do wrong? I don't understand!" Then she couldn't talk past the tears.

Nobuyuki moved backwards until he was sitting on the bed again with Usagi in his lap. He cradled her and rocked her back and forth while she broke down. He held her as tight as he could and pressed gentle kisses in her hair. Eventually Usagi's emotional storm settled down and he could hear her shuddering breaths. Rubbing her back with one hand, he tilted her face up to his with the other. In a firm voice, he told her. "It was nothing that you did. YOU did absolutely nothing wrong."

"But why don't they love me like they do Shingo?"

Nobuyuki sighed. "It's about time you were told the truth." He looked into Usagi's eyes, the same blue as his own. "You are your mother's daughter but you are not your father's." He could see that she didn't understand. "Ikuko got pregnant with you when she was at university…but Kenji is not your biological father. She doesn't know who got her pregnant. And when she told our parents, they married her off to Kenji to 'hide the shame.'"

"He's not my father?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Nobuyuki pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and silently handed it to her.

8888888

Kenji was turning a page of the newspaper when the phone rang. He picked it up, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"_Hello, it's Usagi."_

"What do you want?"

"_Are…are you my biological father?"_

"No." Kenji hung up the phone.

Ikuko looked over at him. "Who was that?"

"No one important to this family."

8888888

Usagi handed the phone back to Nobuyuki. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "All he said was 'What do you want?' and 'No' then he hung up." She looked up at him. "They don't love me. They never have." She buried her face against his chest.

"But, I love you. I love you so very, very much. And the others love you a lot too." Nobuyuki kissed the top of her head. "And if you let them, I bet that Minako-chan, Ami-chan, Rei-chan and Makoto-chan will love you bunches and bunches too. I'll even let Mamoru-kun love you…within limits."

Usagi gave a watery giggle at the last comment.

"Look at me." He smiled into her sad eyes. "Sometimes it is NOT the family that you were born into who loves you the most. Sometimes it's the family that you choose to have that that loves you, supports you and is the best for you."

"The family that you choose?"

"The family that you choose." He said firmly. Nobuyuki sat Usagi on the bed and turned towards her. "Now!" he pulled a credit card from his shirt pocket. "This came in the mail today. It has your name on it. On Saturday, I want you and the girls to go shopping for clothes for you. And I don't want you coming back into this apartment with less than twenty bags of new clothes!"

"Nobuyuki-nii!"

He held up a hand. "AH! I don't want to hear any objections! I can afford this shopping spree. And you deserve it. And while you are at it, buy some things to spruce up this room. It deserves it. It should look like a 16-year-old girl lives here. We will discuss how much of an allowance you will have but tomorrow since it's late. I know that you've bought food and drink when you've been with the girls…where did that money come from?"

Usagi fiddled with the edge of the comforter. "From jobs that I had back ho…in Nanae. But I'm almost out." She jerked her head up looking at Nobuyuki. "But I'm trying to find a job here…"

Nobuyuki shook his head. "I don't want you worrying about a job." He raised a hand to stop her objections. "I don't want you working. I want you studying. You can worry about a job after you graduate from university. Your job now is to get good grades and to have fun with your friends. Understand?"

Usagi sighed. "Yes, Nobuyuki-nii."

Nobuyuki stood up and kissed her on the forehead. He raised an eyebrow. "Now, Saturday! Shopping! No less than twenty bags! And I'm calling Minako and telling her just that! Oh, and I'll get a cell phone for you tomorrow. I don't want to get arrested because you don't have one. It's probably against the law in the city of Tokyo for a teenage girl NOT to have a cell phone."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Five**

Mamoru choked on his mouthful of coffee as the five girls struggled into the arcade late Saturday afternoon. Motoki, who had been wiping down the counter, froze in shock. Each girl looked like she had six to ten shopping bags in her hands. And it was obvious that there wasn't just one or two garments per bag either; some were so stuffed they were straining the sides.

Bags were dropped to the floor as each girl collapsed on a stool at the counter.

"Did you leave anything in the stores for others to buy?" asked Mamoru with an arch of an eyebrow.

Rei smiled sweetly. "Not in Usagi's size!"

Usagi pulled out a credit card and slapped it on the counter. "Drinks are on me, Motoki-nii."

Motoki eyed the multitude of bags on the floor then the credit card. "Okay." With the cloth he'd been using to wipe the counter, he gingerly picked up the card, holding it away from his body.

Makoto snorted with laughter. "It's not going to spontaneously combust!"

Motoki shot her a doubtful look.

Mamoru tugged lightly on Usagi's hair. "Does your uncle know about this?"

Usagi blushed. "Yes. It was his idea."

"He even called me to make sure that I understood that it was a _shopping spree_!" said Minako dryly.

"He even got me a cell phone." Usagi showed it to Mamoru. "It's the latest version. It's going to take me a while to figure out everything that it can do."

"You'll be surprised as to what it will be able to do." Said a strange voice.

Six people turned towards the voice and five of the six barely kept themselves from falling off their stools. Usagi leapt off hers into the arms of a man with short blond hair who hugged her hard. "Jun-nii! It's good to see you!" She turned to the shorter man with long strawberry blond hair who also held out his arms to her. "Soichiro-nii, it's good to see you too!"

Soichiro hugged her back. "Looks like you had a very good time today." He released Usagi and bent over and picked up a pink striped shopping bag that was about to fall over and spill its contents. He looked inside the bag then raised his head and looked at Minako, "I know that this was YOUR idea!" Minako grinned unrepentantly even though she was uncertain about the man who said it. He shook the bag, evening out the contents. Looking at Usagi. "Don't tell Nobuyuki about these!"

Jun looked interested. "What'd she get?" and started to reach for the bag.

Soichiro handed the bag to Rei. "Barbeque him if he tries to open it." Rei had been looking at Soichiro in shock but at his comment eyed Jun and grinned.

"Oh, now that's just evil and mean!" Jun glared at Soichiro

Soichiro shrugged. "Deal with it." He looked at Mamoru. "You're Chiba, aren't you?" Mamoru nodded. "What education track are you on?"

"First-year, Pre-Med." Said Mamoru.

"Tough courses." Said Soichiro. "Third-year, Engineering."

Jun held up a hand. "Law school, first-year."

"Impressive. Both of you." Said Ami shyly.

Soichiro smiled shyly back at her. "Hard work but I'm enjoying it."

"Is Kazuya-san going to be coming?" asked Usagi.

Jun pulled her close. "Not sure. There was an emergency and he had to go into the office and chop off heads."

Minako spoke. "Not literally, I hope."

Soichiro grinned. "Probably not, but if he's angry enough there may be a few people who will apologize for existing and then commit _seppuku_."

Minako smiled. "Sounds tough to work for."

Jun laughed. "Oh, people assigned under him sometimes curse their luck, but if they get things done on time and on or under budget, then they won't have a problem with him. His superiors love him because he makes sure things are done on time, done properly and done under budget when possible. He's the youngest person in his position and is predicted to go very far!"

"Oh! I'm so rude!" cried Usagi. "Everyone this is Yamamoto Jun and Sakurazuka Soichiro. They're friends with my uncle."

"We're your friends too, Usagi-chan." Said Jun, caressing her cheek with a finger.

Mamoru barely held back a growl.

Jun's comment made Usagi blush but she smiled and introduced the girls and Mamoru to them.

Polite greetings were exchanged. But Usagi missed the tense undercurrents that flowed around the group.

Nobuyuki walked into the arcade and stopped short and stared at the overstuffed bags surrounding the girls. "No, I told her to do this. I brought this on myself!"

Makoto grinned at his soft mutter. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "That's right. You brought it on yourself especially since you called Minako and involved her!"

Nobuyuki just gave her a look. Makoto giggled.

"Nobuyuki-nii!" Usagi went over to her uncle and hugged him. Tilting up her head, she smiled. "Thank you."

He smiled back. "You're welcome. You deserve it." He looked around. "No Kazuya?"

Jun shook his head. "Emergency situation."

Nobuyuki winced. "The blood will probably be knee deep."

Usagi frowned and punched him. Nobuyuki grunted, pretending like it actually hurt. "You are so mean to him." Said Usagi. "You act as if he's some awful brute."

"Only to people who piss him off, Princess." Said Soichiro. "Trust us on that." He looked around. "There isn't enough room for all of us at the counter, besides we'd have to shout at each other." He pointed to a couple of tables in the corner. "We can slide those together. Agreed?"

"Sounds like an excellent idea to me." Said Ami. "But what are we going to do with all of these bags?"

"You can put them in the back, they'll be safe there." Said Motoki. The group followed his suggestion and made quick work of putting the bags in the back. Jun tried to look inside the pink-striped bag but Rei elbowed him sharply in the gut.

"How long have you been coming here?" Soichiro asked Ami.

"A couple of years now. Minako brought us here. We like it." She replied.

Usagi was sitting between Mamoru and Nobuyuki. Nobuyuki laughed as she told him about Motoki's reaction to her credit card. "After seeing all of those bags, you can't blame the guy."

The bell above the arcade door rang and a man entered. Not the normal sort of man the arcade patrons were used to. Older than most people there by ten years or more, he wore a suit and tie.

"Suit and tie on a Saturday." Muttered Jun.

"He'll never change and you know it." Said Nobuyuki as he raised an arm, signaling the man.

Motoki poured the man a cup of coffee. The man walked towards the group sitting in the corner. "Hello, Princess." He brushed a kiss across the top of Usagi's head as he walked around the table to the only free chair. As he put his cup on the table, his free hand briefly caressed Minako's shoulder. He sat down and took a long sip then sighed quietly.

Minako, with difficulty kept herself from crawling into his lap, looked at him. It was obvious that the day had been long and hard for him. "Long day?" She said with sympathy.

"It started with a phone call at 4 a.m."

Jun leaned forward. "4 a.m.? What the hell happened, Kazuya?"

Kazuya shook his head. "I can't discuss it. But it's bad."

Mamoru didn't smile when he looked at the man he remembered as a beloved older brother…and then as a damned traitor. "_Seppuku_?"

The gray eyes crinkled slightly. "Not me." He took another sip of coffee. "But three resignations and many people working through the rest of the weekend. Hopefully it will stave off an official investigation. There are going to be many unhappy wives and children."

Mamoru gazed at him steadily. "Better unhappy wives and children for one weekend than for several weeks with an investigation." He looked at Kazuya thoughtfully. "When was the last time you ate today? Real food. Not something from a vending machine."

Kazuya rubbed his head. He could feel the aspirin he took earlier wearing off. "I…I don't remember."

Minako leaned forward and snatched up a menu and slapped it down in front of him. "Order something. Or I will order it for you!" she commanded.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Six**

"What did you tell Usagi?"

"I told her that we were taking Kazuya out to get him to unwind a bit." Nobuyuki smiled. "I don't think she paid much attention, she was too busy putting away her loot."

Minako flashed him a grin. "You do realize that we're going to do this again for winter clothes."

Nobuyuki winced then shrugged philosophically. "She deserves it. We've talked over the past couple of days, and well, she's been neglected most of her life. It's not like she ran around in rags but she was given just enough to keep school officials from making official comments."

Makoto frowned. "She said some things while we were shopping. There may not have been comments made by school officials but there were certainly plenty made by other students. Not nice ones either. Especially since her brother was treated so well."

Nobuyuki scrubbed his face with his hands. "And then there is the emotional neglect. I just wish that I could have done something for her sooner. As it was, I had to be subtle with my hints and suggestions. Kenji doesn't like me much either."

"_Kenji_ will get his sooner or later." Said Rei with malicious glee.

"What was in that pink striped bag?" asked Jun.

Soichiro flashed him a look of disgust. "You're still going on about that?"

Rei glared. "You want to know that badly? Fine, there was intimate apparel inside that bag…none of which you will EVER be allowed to see Usagi in."

Jun cheerfully leered at her. "Can I see yours then?"

Everyone could almost see the flames come from the angry priestess but Makoto quickly rubbed her thumb and index finger together, reached around Nobuyuki then touched Jun on his buttocks. Jun yelped and jumped into the air. He rubbed furiously where she had touched him.

Soichiro laughed and leaned across Ami to give Makoto a high five.

Kazuya gave Jun an icy gray stare. "Lady Mars, next time just set him on fire. I'm sure Lady Mercury can shield the rest of us."

It was out in the open. Finally.

"Why are you still alive?" Asked Mamoru bluntly.

Kazuya looked at him evenly. "We never died, in this lifetime at least."

"But we saw you die." Said Ami.

Soichiro shook his head. "What you saw were…constructs…puppets. Not us. Did you ever scan them?"

Ami nodded. "They were not human."

"Scan us." Soichiro said. "Scan all of us right now."

Ami pulled her Mercury computer out of her subspace pocket and began to rapidly tap on the keys. She finished and before she barely lifted her hands from the computer it gave her the results. Ami looked up at the others. "They're human. One hundred percent human…but not the same as most humans. They are similar to Mamoru."

"We have magic, like he does." Said Kazuya. "And, we were reborn like he was. I'm sure that the four of you are different. At least since you've come into your powers."

Ami nodded. "I've scanned all of us over the past couple of years and we have changed." She hesitated. "But you said that Usagi is Serenity of the Moon…but when I scanned her, she's normal."

Nobuyuki sighed. "She hasn't awoken to her powers. Why? I don't know. It may have a lot to do with the way that she grew up. All of you have self-confidence in yourselves. You had that even before you knew that you were the Senshi or Tuxedo Kamen. Usagi doesn't have that self-confidence in herself."

Minako tapped her finger against her lips. "You think that self-confidence is the key?"

Kazuya shrugged slightly. "We've discussed it into the ground. And that's the only thing that we can come up with."

Rei smiled. "So, we build Usagi's self-confidence. And it's had a good start with new clothes!"

"And, for now, we will trust you." Said an unsmiling Minako.

An equally somber Kazuya looked her in the eye. "Sounds fair."

8888888

Over the next few months, as much as everyone's schedules allow, they were together at least twice a week. They went to various places around Tokyo to introduce Usagi to her new home. They saw movies and concerts. Had dinners at restaurants and at Nobuyuki and Usagi's apartment.

Mamoru, with great care and patience, courted Usagi. He wanted her to know that he would be gentle with her fragile heart when she was ready to hand it to him. He knew that she already held his heart, even if she didn't know it.

The relationships between the Shitennou and the Senshi were just as careful and as complicated. Soichiro slipped beneath Ami's defenses and before she knew it, he was in the back of her mind at all times. Nobuyuki and Makoto just quietly fell in love. He told her how he felt and she just smiled and kissed him. Kazuya and Minako circled around each other like wary cats and had a long discussion about the years that separated them. But she managed to twist him around her finger. The relationship between Jun and Rei was as fiery and temperamental as the pair themselves. It seemed that Jun took two steps back for every one he took forward but eventually it was noticed that he walked around looking like a cat that got into the cream. Minako commented that Rei looked like she had crow feathers in her mouth.

Usagi never questioned the fact that the girls would disappear every now and then. And that when they disappeared, the Sailor Senshi appeared to take care of some monster that appeared and attacked people.

A dark spot in their lives came one day when they went to an amusement park and a group of younger boys ran into them. Mamoru barely managed to catch Usagi before she hit the asphalt.

"Watch where you're going!" yelled Rei.

One of the boys turned and sneered. "Screw you! YOU watch where you're going!"

"Shingo!" came Usagi's shocked voice.

The boy turned and looked at her. His dirty blond hair and gray-blue eyes were very different from Usagi's golden locks and sky-blue orbs. He curled his lip, "What are you doing here, Ugly?"

The boys with him shifted their feet uncomfortably at his comment. One stepped forward and bowed. "I'm sorry, we should have looked where we were going."

Shingo snarled at him. "Don't apologize. If they're friends with HER, they're just trashy scum."

Mamoru felt Usagi tremble and tightened his arms around her. He was trying very hard to control his temper. It would not look good for a University student to beat the crap out of a kid in middle school.

Nobuyuki stepped forward. "That's enough, Shingo. You need to apologize to your sister and the others." He ordered.

Shingo laughed. "I don't have to follow the orders of someone who does nothing but stare uselessly at the sky. And I don't have to apologize to a bastard whore!"

"SHINGO!" shouted the boys that were with him.

"That's enough!" snarled Rei as she lunged for him.

"NO!" Usagi broke free from Mamoru's arms and stood in front of Shingo blocking Rei. "No. Please, Rei."

Rei stopped, frozen by the broken look in Usagi's eyes.

"Don't defend me, bitch!" Shingo punched Usagi in the side and she collapsed to the asphalt with a cry of pain.

But before anyone could react, the boy who had apologized grabbed Shingo and twisted his arm behind his back. Shingo tried arching away from the pain but the boy was relentless. Even though he was holding Shingo, the boy managed to bow deeply and the other boys followed his example. "Please forgive us and our school for having a student such as this one. I hope that you will not think that all of us are like him."

Mamoru picked Usagi up in his arms and cradled her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face. Mamoru slightly inclined his head to the boy. The others could see Endymion in his actions. "We shall not hold it against you or your school. But you should make better choices in friends."

It was the boy's turn to sneer. "He's no friend of mine, sir. We were assigned groups. I will take him to our teachers." He bowed again and with Shingo's arm still twisted behind him, led the other boys off.

"I though Shingo said his sister was the ugliest thing on earth."

"Goes to show that he has zero taste."

"If I was older, I'd date her!"

Mamoru walked over to a bench, still holding Usagi and sat down. She still clung to him. He could feel her tears soaking into his shirt. Nobuyuki sat next to them and quietly rubbed Usagi's back.

After a few minutes Usagi looked up. "The family I choose." She sniffled.

"The family you choose?" asked Ami.

Usagi nodded. "When we first met, Nobuyuki-nii told me that sometimes it's the family that you choose that loves you the best. Not necessarily the one that you were born into. Once again that was proven to me."

She wiped away the tears and straightened until she was upright in Mamoru's lap. She looked at everyone one by one. "I choose you." She said clearly. "I choose you as my family! I love all of you so much!"

"We love you too!"


	7. Chapter 7

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Seven**

Soon after the incident at the amusement park, Usagi was told about the secret identities of her new family. She gave a wistful smile and said that she wished that she had powers so she could help them fight against the monsters that attacked the city.

Ami scanned Usagi at least once a week with her computer. She began to notice a gradual change in Usagi's DNA but it was miniscule. She told the others that the way things were going Usagi wasn't going to gain any powers any time soon.

Then new monsters started to arrive. The Senshi and Shitennou fought against them and the ones that were controlling them: Four women calling themselves the Ayakashi Sisters and a man named Rubeus. They called their monsters droids.

Usagi was attacked by a droid and Tuxedo Kamen became so angry there wasn't much of the droid left by the time he was through. Petz and Calaveras, who had been controlling it, fled from his wrath.

Soon Rubeus and the Sisters were defeated and a woman named Emeraude arrived. Tuxedo Kamen and the Shitennou cringed every time she opened her mouth. The Senshi just plain didn't like her.

One afternoon while they enjoying a picnic at the park nearest to Mamoru's apartment, Emeraude arrived with several droids to attack the people enjoying the day and to claim one of the Crystal Points that seemed to figure in her plans.

Mamoru kissed Usagi deeply then pushed her towards a stand of trees. "Go hide over there. You should be safe. We'll come for you when we're done." She nodded and ran while he and the others transformed, hidden by Jadeite's illusion.

But the trees that Usagi hid in were not as safe as Mamoru thought.

A droid that had been thrown across the park by Sailor Jupiter was returning to the fight and came across Usagi. It pulled her out of her hiding place and towards Emeraude. Usagi screamed and struggled against it but it was much stronger than she was.

Tuxedo Kamen, the Senshi and the Shitennou all cursed but there was nothing they could do because all of them were busy fighting the multitude of droids that Emeraude brought with her.

Emeraude heard Usagi's panicked screaming and turned to look. "YOU!" she cried out.

Tuxedo Kamen saw that Emeraude was preparing to personally attack Usagi. He reached down deep into himself and became Endymion. Endymion blasted the droids he was fighting to dust and launched himself at Emeraude who saw him coming. Terrified, she screamed and disappeared, taking her droids with her.

Endymion ran to Usagi and held her close. Usagi shook as he pressed butterfly kisses across her eyes and lips.

"Usagi! Are you hurt?" asked Venus as she and the others ran to the couple.

Usagi managed to smile at her friend and shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Mostly. A few scrapes and bruises. Scared but I'll live."

Nephrite frowned. "She recognized you. I don't know why but she knew you. That's why she was going to attack you."

"I don't suppose if we captured one of those droids, it would be able to tell us why." Said Jadeite.

Mercury shook her head. "No. The droids are just machines doing what they're programmed to do. They won't be able to give us any information."

Kunzite frowned. "So, we'll just have to keep Usagi safe until we know what's going on."

888888

Emeraude returned a few days later and the Senshi and Shitennou once again engaged her in battle but this time she not only was trying to access the Crystal Points but she was also obviously looking for someone.

She was looking for Usagi.

888888

They did their best to keep Usagi hidden but she couldn't avoid going to school and there wasn't any way that they could adequately explain why Usagi was wearing a disguise. So they had to take their chances and let her go back and forth to school as herself.

They did take precautions. She didn't take the same route every day. Sometimes she walked. Sometimes she took the bus or the train.

But all that they did to protect her didn't matter.

The Dark Moon Clan found her.

It wasn't Emeraude who found who found her.

It was their leader.

888888

The man appeared out of nowhere above the busy street. And with a wave of his hand sent vehicles tumbling like toys dumped out of a box. People screamed and ran frantically in all directions.

The girls surrounded Usagi and cursed the fact that they couldn't transform without revealing their identities to all and sundry.

The silver-haired man smiled and walked across the air as if he was walking on the sidewalk. His lips were smiling but his dark eyes were cold as they stared at Usagi. "I've been looking for you, my darling. Very naughty of you to hide yourself from me, Serenity."

Usagi knew that the man was talking to her but she looked around anyway trying to figure out who this Serenity was. He scared her so much that she couldn't talk. She could only stare at him.

Ami scrabbled frantically at her cell phone to summon Mamoru and the men to their location. Makoto pushed Usagi behind her while Rei and Minako stood on either side. They were in their civilian forms but they were ready to do whatever was needed to protect their friend.

The man's eyes narrowed angrily at this show of protectiveness. "Move aside!"

Minako glared back. "No."

The man straightened as if she had taken a swing at him. His entire body language proclaimed his outrage. "I am Demando, Prince of Nemesis! That woman is my fiancée and I ORDER you to step aside!"

"Never heard of you." Came Rei's reply. Demando really didn't like that remark. Rei continued. "Besides, she already has someone she loves deeply…and it isn't you!"

Demando shook with rage. "If you won't give me what I want…I will TAKE what I want!"

Before the girls could run, He attacked with a blast of power that knocked all of them off their feet.

888888

Endymion ran as fast as he could, the Shitennou close behind. In the distance he could see the dust from the attacks. He ran faster.

They arrived just in time to see the man attack the girls and knock them off their feet.

Endymion was too far away to attack when he saw the strange man use his powers to pull the unconscious Usagi into his arms but he tried anyway.

The man saw Endymion's roses fly in his direction. He looked at him and sneered. "She belongs to me. You will never have her. She is mine and mine alone."

"She belongs to herself!" snarled Endymion. He was closer now and attacked again with his roses but he was blocked by a multitude of droids that came out of nowhere.

Endymion and the Shitennou fought the droids while the man laughed, still holding Usagi who was limp in his arms. "You will never win! She's mine. She's always been mine! And when I am done, she will only love me!" Then he looked over the shoulders of the men who were trying to get to him and gaped.

"_Dead Scream!"_

The man disappeared with Usagi just before the strange attack hit him.

"**Usako!**" bellowed an anguished Endymion.

The girls struggled to their feet with the help of the Shitennou.

Everyone turned to look where the strange attack had come from. Standing in the middle of the street was a woman with long green hair wearing a Sailor fuku colored in black and white with garnet accents. The woman's ruby eyes stared at the place where the man had disappeared from as she lightly tapped the staff she carried against the broken asphalt.

"He has pissed me off for the _very_ last time."


	8. Chapter 8

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Eight**

At the request of the strange Senshi, the group went to the Shrine.

Mamoru sat quietly in a corner. But his seething rage hammered the senses of everyone. Rei was affected the worst. Jun did his best to shield her but until they got Usagi back, he knew Mamoru was not going to calm down.

Minako, like the others, was feeling battered both physically by the attack and mentally by Mamoru but she knew that she had to do her job. "Who are you?" she asked the strange Senshi.

"I am Sailor Pluto, guardian of Time and Space." She replied.

"What did you mean by 'he has pissed me off for the very last time'?" asked Ami.

Pluto sighed and leaned her staff against a wall. "Mind if I sit down?" She didn't wait for a reply but perched herself on Rei's desk. "First of all, I am the oldest of all of the Senshi. I have been the sole Guardian of Space and Time." She gave a ruby stare to Jun. "No, you don't want to ask my age. And if you do, I will hurt you."

Jun looked quickly away.

"To explain, I'm going to have to go back to the Silver Millennium. You are correct: Usagi is Serenity. She's locked away her memories. Probably because of what happened at the end of the Silver Alliance. Serenity, like others before her, was her mother's only child. She was created, like the Queens before her, from the Galaxy Cauldron." Pluto held up a hand stopping the questions that were unasked. "The Galaxy Cauldron holds and releases the…I'll use the term 'soul' for right now…of everyone and everything. It releases the soul when it's time for it to be born and it takes back the soul when the body dies. The Queens of the Moon chose not to have husbands or lovers so they went to the Cauldron and received a soul from it so that they could have an heir."

"Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity's mother, did the same as her mother and grandmothers before her. And she adored Serenity. But Serenity was different than her mother. She had an enormous ability to love and a great deal of compassion. The Queen was able to love and feel compassion but it was…distant."

Pluto sighed. "If you were to meet Queen Serenity and Princess Serenity at the same time, you would say that they were both the most beautiful women in the universe. But you would worship Queen Serenity's beauty from afar. Never mentioning it to her. Never telling her of your feelings. Princess Serenity on the other hand, you would kneel at her feet, gaze at her with puppy dog eyes and write bad poetry. She would smile and thank you very prettily.

"Queen Serenity knew, after she…persuaded…the other planets to form the Silver Alliance, that her daughter would have to be given away in marriage. But there were not that many men of Serenity's age and rank who were not unmarried. There were some unmarried princes but they were either old or lechers. Queen Serenity wanted to make sure that her daughter would at least be content in her marriage if she couldn't marry for love."

"Content? That's horrible!" gasped Minako.

Pluto smiled. "Spoken like a true Venusian, my sister." She continued with her story. "Many came to the Moon Court to see if they would be granted Serenity's hand but for various reasons, they were turned down. Then a prince from planet similar to my own came forth. The planet was called Nemesis and the name of the Prince was Demando.

"Queen Serenity did not like him but she could not put her finger on exactly why. He followed all of the rules, he was polite, he was charming, he was everything a prince should be but there was just something…wrong. He asked for Princess Serenity's hand but Queen Serenity managed to, politely, put him off, citing the fact that Princess Serenity had not come of age. But, he was the only possible acceptable choice. So, while there was no formal announcement, it was tacitly realized amongst the Court that he was Princess Serenity's future husband. And that when he married Serenity, Nemesis would become a member of the Silver Alliance

"Then Prince Endymion of Earth and his Shitennou snuck onto the Moon.

"The Earth was also not a part of the Silver Alliance. It was considered to be a barbarous planet. They did not have the things the rest of the Alliance had. Instant transportation. The ability of space travel. Magic.

"There were only five people on the entire planet that could use magic. Prince Endymion and his Shitennou. And while they were honored and feted for their physical skills and knowledge, they were regarded with suspicion because of their magical abilities.

"There had long been stories about the people of the Moon Kingdom that had been told on Earth. People of astounding beauty that were either extremely good or extremely evil. That the people of the Moon wanted to make the people of Earth their slaves or wanted to protect them like young children. So, the stories told did not set well with most people. Most of the stories were not true but what was true was the fact that most in the Alliance felt that Earth just was not ready to join them. But despite the fact that there was to be no contact between the Alliance and Earth there was a certain amount of…well, let's call it what it was…smuggling going back and forth.

"Prince Endymion was the only child of the High King of Earth and his wife. While he was loved and cherished by his parents, he was also strictly trained to eventually become King. His parents were shocked to learn that he and the Shitennou had magical abilities but they quietly made arrangements for them to be taught by a teacher from the Moon.

"It was the teacher who first told them of Princess Serenity and her Senshi. One day he brought a hologram to show them what one was. It was a hologram of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion became fascinated with her and asked the teacher who she was. The teacher, in all innocence, told him about the Golden Daughter of the Moon. And that was all it took. Prince Endymion had to go to the Moon to catch even the smallest glimpse of Serenity.

"But he was smart enough to keep it secret from the leader of his Shitennou." Pluto shot a quick grin at Kazuya who simply raised an eyebrow. "Prince Endymion knew that Kunzite would chain him to the wall of his room if the plan was found out. Zoicite and Jadeite thought that it would be a grand adventure to go on. Nephrite went in the hopes that he could keep the other three out of trouble and back on Earth before Kunzite knew they were gone."

Pluto paused for a moment. She could see on the faces of those surrounding her that they were beginning to remember. She continued with her story. "So Prince Endymion and three of the Shitennou arrived on the Moon. Their teacher had told them that there was to be a Ball that night, so they dressed in their finest clothes in the hopes that they would not be noticed. But they were noticed. By the Senshi.

"Using magic leaves a signature. And the magical signatures of Prince Endymion and his Shitennou were ones that the Senshi had never felt before. Venus stayed by Princess Serenity's side while her sisters searched for the source of foreign magic. But, like Prince Endymion, Princess Serenity could be tricky too. She was tired. Tired of the Balls that frequently occurred on the Moon, she was tired of being told that her future was set for her. That she would be marrying Demando. She didn't like him. He left her feeling cold. But because she couldn't explain that to her mother, she felt that her Senshi would not understand either."

"I would have understood." Cried Minako. "If she had confided in me, I would have helped her! Why didn't she let me know?" Anguish emanated from every pore of the Senshi of Love. Kazuya pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"Serenity made an excuse to Venus and slipped away. It was then, during her escape from duty, that she ran into Prince Endymion. The young royals took one look and became fascinated with each other. But Kunzite arrived and tried to take Prince Endymion away. Serenity became distressed and the Senshi who had been looking for the intruders and for their wayward princess discovered everyone.

"Before all hell could break loose, Venus came and reasoned with Serenity and with Kunzite and got everyone into Serenity's rooms where things could be discussed…at the top of everyone's lungs.

"To try and make a long story shorter, Prince Endymion and the Shitennou were allowed to stay. Prince Endymion and Serenity fell in love with each other. The Senshi and the Shitennou fell in love with each other. And it fell upon Queen Serenity to tell Prince Demando that he would not be marrying her daughter.

"Demando became angry at the news. He argued with Queen Serenity but she reminded him that no formal agreement had been publicly made or even signed. Therefore, her daughter was free to do as she wished. Demando was furious. To the point where he actually tried to attack Queen Serenity. He was banished from the Moon Kingdom. And that made the chances of Nemesis becoming a member of the Alliance practically nil.

"Demando vowed revenge on Queen Serenity but most especially on Prince Endymion.

"The romance between Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion became the stuff of romantic legend. Bards told stories and wrote songs about it. But with every romantic tale, evil crawls in. And in this tale, the evil came from two directions.

"On Earth there was a woman who called herself Beryl who fed the fears of the people with tales of how Princess Serenity and her Senshi had bewitched Prince Endymion and the Shitennou, making them their slaves and when Princess Serenity married Prince Endymion, she would kill him and rule the Earth, turning Earth into a planet of slaves who then be sold off to the other planets. That was the tale that she told the most but there were many others she told that preyed on peoples' fears. And they began to believe her.

"The High King did his best to combat Beryl's lies as did Endymion and the Shitennou. But humans, being human, could not, would not, see past Beryl's glittery lies to the solid truth.

"Demando, who had been spying on the Moon Kingdom and on the Earth, approached Beryl with a plan. A plan that would let her be the ruler of Earth after the High King and his wife, Endymion and the Shitennou were dead and because Queen Serenity would be blamed and executed for the murders of the Earth's Royals, he would be able to claim Princess Serenity and become Ruler of the Moon.

"Beryl agreed to his plan, but what Demando didn't know was that Beryl had a master of her own. Metallia. And that they had their own plans. It was Beryl's plan to become Ruler of the Earth and the Galaxy but she wanted Endymion by her side and she planned to kill Princess Serenity to make that happen.

"It was Demando who captured the Shitennou. They were busy fighting Beryl's army and, using his magic, managed to capture them during the battle. But Endymion got away and fled to the Moon. Both Beryl and Demando were enraged for their own separate reasons and together they tortured the Shitennou and eventually murdered them. It was Demando's brother Saphire who created droids that looked exactly like the Shitennou and used them to attack the Moon.

"Demando was the one who gave Beryl the secrets to attacking the Moon and she used them. Demando stood at her side, encouraging her along as the Shitennou droids attacked and killed the Senshi but when she gave the order to kill the Princess of the Moon, he tried to stop her. Beryl stabbed him then magically attacked Princess Serenity but it was blocked by Prince Endymion, who died from her attack.

"Demando, gravely wounded, could only watch at Serenity screamed and threw herself on the body of her slain lover while Beryl raged at the death of the man she desired. Demando watched as Serenity took her own life. And he was still alive when Queen Serenity used her life and the _Ginzuishou_ to send her daughter, her lover and their friends to a better time.

"But, Queen Serenity, in her grief, was not able to exclude Beryl or Demando from her desired plan. You know what happened to Beryl. But Demando and Nemesis woke at the same time you did. But he didn't not have the power to do anything. So he watched. Watched and waited.

"The Demando you saw is not from this place and time but from the future. He has come back in time to change things. I will not let him have his way."

Mamoru spoke for the first time since Usagi was stolen away. "So what do we need to do?"


	9. Chapter 9

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Nine**

The Senshi and Shitennou stood on a hill staring at the ruins of a great city. They were shocked by the destruction. "What happened?" Breathed Zoicite.

"Demando." Said Pluto. "He's bound and determined to get Serenity any way he can. Follow me."

Pluto led the way down the hill and through the ruins to the Castle that they had seen. The immense doors opened for her without even a gesture. She led the way down great corridors. The others looked around them in awe at the priceless paintings, tapestries and statues that covered the walls and stood in alcoves. As they walked, the great corridors became smaller hallways. Finally she stopped before a door. She turned to those following her. "I'd like to say 'don't be surprised by what you see inside' but you will be."

The door slid open and they walked in. It was a huge room lined with computers and giant screens that showed parts of the ruined city and fighting that was going on. At the center of the room stood a man. He turned at the opening of the door.

It was Endymion.

Endymion stared at himself in shock. The Senshi and Shitennou looked back and forth between the two. And they realized a few things. The Endymion that was already in the room was different from the one they knew. He was older. He looked like he was in his late twenties but he also had a curious timeless quality about him. As if he was at the prime of his life but had been living a long time and was secure in who and what he was.

The other thing that they noticed was that the older Endymion was transparent.

The older Endymion gazed at his younger self and the ones with him then turned to Pluto. "I'm guessing that son of a bitch captured Usagi."

Pluto bowed. "I'm sorry, your majesty, I tried to get there in time but I was unsuccessful. Somehow he managed to get droids into the time stream and I had to fight them. Your majesty, may I introduce you to Prince Endymion, Sailors Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter as well as the Shitennou: Lords Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite and Zoicite." She turned to the group. "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Endymion, King of the Earth, beloved husband of Neo-Queen Serenity of the Moon."

King Endymion nodded solemnly to his younger self and the others then turned back to the screens. He sighed and spoke. "As you can tell, I'm not really in this room. I am elsewhere in this castle. In this form, I am a hologram. But I'm able to see and interact with all of you."

Prince Endymion stepped forward. "Your majesty, where is Usagi?" He should have felt silly addressing himself that way but he didn't. It seemed right because the man before him, was NOT him…at least not yet.

"Usagi is on Nemesis."

888888

Usagi moaned in pain. Even her hair hurt. "That weirdo hit hard." She tried to sit up but her stomach rebelled. She managed to open her eyes, found the edge of the bed that she was laying on and leaned over the side retching helplessly. Fortunately nothing actually came up but she still felt horrible and weak even after it stopped.

She rested on the bed, absorbing the cool softness of the silken comforter beneath her cheek. Then it hit her, neither she nor any of the girls had a silk comforter. She opened up her eyes and sat up. Her stomach rolled rebelliously but it stayed where it belonged.

Usagi looked around the room. She had never seen it before but it was extremely disturbing. The walls and every surface were covered with pictures, and statues of…herself. Some seemed like they were very old; a version of her that was around the same age she was now. The others had a newer feel but that version, while not much older than she was now, seemed like a woman who had lived a long time.

"Okay, this is way beyond creepy. I want to get out of here." Usagi slid off the bed and gasped when she looked down at herself. She was not wearing her school uniform but a white dress with ornate gold embroidery across the bodice and down the front past her waist. The dress was similar to the ones in the pictures but not quite.

"Do you like your dress, my darling?"

The voice made Usagi jump and spin around. The dress swirled around her feet as she stared at the man who had come into the room without her hearing.

He was smiling but his eyes were empty. He scared her.

Usagi swallowed. "Who are you? Why am I here? I want to go home."

The man smiled. It was chilling. "I am Demando, your fiancé. You are here because I brought you here. And you are home."

Usagi took a deep shuddering breath. "No, my home is with Nobuyuki, Mamoru and the others. They're my family."

Demando's face darkened with rage at her words. He stepped towards her, fists clenched.

Usagi backed up until she was pressed against the side of the bed. This man frightened her to death. There was something beyond merely "wrong" with him. She knew that she was in terrible danger from him.

Demando bared his teeth at her and growled. "This is your home. I am your fiancé and you will do as I say!"

He reached out and without touching her, yanked her into his arms. Usagi struggled but the arm around her waist was like steel. His free hand gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him. To her horror, his forehead shifted grotesquely and a third eye appeared. Usagi tried to cry out but her throat was paralyzed. The third eye began to glow and she felt herself begin to fade. As her vision faded away, she saw Demando lean in to kiss her.

Somewhere deep inside her, something awakened. A scream tore from her throat.

"_**ENDYMION!"**_

888888

Prince Endymion sat slumped in a chair. He had stopped running his hands through his hair and just rested his face in them. He listened with half an ear to the discussions going on around him. There had been a lot of talk but nothing was being done to get Usagi back into his arms.

"Be patient."

Prince Endymion looked up into the transparent face of King Endymion. "That's easy for you to say." He said bitterly.

King Endymion didn't smile. "No, it isn't. Because I was once in your shoes. And one day you will be in mine, severely injured and unable to be near your wife because she, too, is severely injured."

"She's hurt?" Prince Endymion stared at his older self. "How?"

Tears filled the eyes of the hologram. "She went outside the Palace to try and protect all of us from Demando's attack. But there was too much power used against her all at once and the _Ginzuishou_ wasn't able to shield her from all of it. The Senshi used their powers and encased her in quartz to heal."

"I'm sorry. I'm an ass."

King Endymion smiled. "You're allowed. You're young."

Suddenly power roared through the room causing everyone to stagger and King Endymion's hologram to flicker wildly.

A scream echoed through the room. _**"ENDYMION!"**_

Prince Endymion was deafened by it but he knew that voice. It was Usagi's.

"Shitennou! Pluto!" roared King Endymion. The Shitennou were already on their feet and running to Prince Endymion. Pluto's staff was in her hand and when the Shitennou had surrounded Prince Endymion, she pointed it at them and it glowed brightly.

Prince Endymion shook his head and looked around. They were no longer in the control room. They were in a dark and vaguely menacing hallway. "Obviously a plan was developed and I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to hear it." He said dryly.

"Pretty much." Kunzite's reply was just as dry. "Can you sense Usagi?"

Prince Endymion closed his eyes and listened to his heart. "Found her!" Opening his eyes, he began to run, the Shitennou close at his heels.

888888

Demando staggered to his feet. He had been blasted back against the wall by the immense power that had come from his soon-to-be-wife. He stared in shock. Serenity floated mid-air wearing an outfit similar to those whores who help keep her away from him. The bodice was white with a blue skirt with red bows at her breasts and her waist in the back. Red gems adorned her buns and a tiara was across her brow.

She glowed with power.

Saphire burst into the room. "BROTHER! Are you alright?" He stopped when he saw that Demando was standing upright. He followed his brother's eyes and stared at the woman floating in the middle of the room.

Demando yelled. "Serenity, come down from there! NOW!"

Her eyes opened and she stared through him. She held out her hands and a scepter appeared. "Moon Princess Halation!" The resulting power slammed both Demando and Saphire against the walls.

Demando snarled with rage but before he could attack, he was once again blasted back, this time to the floor. When the dust cleared, he could see that a portion of the wall had been destroyed. And in the newly created opening was the bastard who seduced Serenity away from him and the bastard's minions.

Demando was so focused on his enemy, he barely heard his brother summoning droids. With a roar of rage, he created a sword and ran at the man he hated the most in the universe.

Prince Endymion drew his own sword and met Demando's with a ringing clash. There was no grace or finesse about this fight. This was a fight to the death.

Kunzite and the others watched their Master's back while fighting the droids that had appeared at Saphire's summoning.

Demando didn't know how long he'd been fighting but his mouth was dry from the curses he'd been screaming and he was panting for breath. His enemy's eyes were cold as he met blow after blow. Demando stepped back and staggered as he tripped over something. He looked down and saw that it was his brother's head, eyes wide with horror. He looked up in time to see the one with long blonde hair shake blood from his blade and watch the rest of his brother's body fall to the floor.

Prince Endymion took advantage of Demando's distraction and slid his sword through Demando's ribs and into his heart.

Demando gasped and choked on blood. He looked down to see the bloody blade leave his chest. He looked up into Endymion's implacable face.

"You will never lay a hand on what is mine ever again." Said Prince Endymion. He swung his sword and Demando's head bounced across the room until it was under the bed. He took a deep breath and wiped his blade free of blood on Demando's fallen body. He looked up at the woman he loved who was still floating mid-air. "Any idea of how to get her down from there?"

"Let's at least cover up the bodies first." Said Kunzite.

"Good idea."


	10. Chapter 10

**The Family You Choose**

By Bashfulglowfly

**Chapter Ten**

Prince Endymion managed to get Usagi down from mid-air and into his arms. As soon as that happened, she became unconscious and untransformed from the sailor fuku into a dress that was a disgusting parody of the one she used to wear.

Prince Endymion ordered his Shitennou to turn their backs. They heard ripping noises. Kunzite gripped Nephrite's arm, hoping that the man wouldn't try and kill their prince because he was ripping the clothes off Nephrite's beloved niece.

When they were allowed to turn around, the dress was in shreds on the floor and Usagi was in Prince Endymion's arms, wrapped tightly in his cloak. Their prince looked at them. "Let's get out of here."

888888

Usagi stretched. She didn't hurt anymore. Her eyes popped open and she sat bolt upright and looked around wildly.

She was in her own room.

She began to shake and tears ran down her face. But she wiped them away. She had to smile because she wasn't alone. Mamoru lay on top of the covers next to her. Minako was across the foot of the bed with one arm draped across Kazuya who was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed. Nobuyuki and Jun were lying on the floor. Makoto was curled up next to Nobuyuki with her head resting on his shoulder. Rei was on top of Jun and holding him like he was her pillow. Soichiro and Ami managed to curl up on the small loveseat that was against the wall next to her desk.

"You okay?" Came the soft voice that was rough with sleep.

Usagi turned and looked. Mamoru was propped up on one elbow, staring at her. She smiled at him and placed her hand on his cheek. "Yes. I'm better now."

"I healed you. You had a lot of bumps and bruises."

Usagi bit her lip and tried to ask about what she feared had happened. Mamoru didn't smile but pulled her close. "He didn't rape you. I swear to you, he didn't do that."

Usagi shuddered in his arms. "I was afraid…I think he would have."

Mamoru didn't disagree. "He probably would have but I think he would have waited until you were awake. If you were unconscious it wouldn't have fit into his insane fantasy that you were his fiancée and that you loved him."

Usagi clung to her prince. "What happened to him? I remember this weird eye in the middle of his forehead…then nothing after that."

Mamoru kissed her lips. "You transformed into Sailor Moon." He smiled at her look of surprise. "Yes, you became Sailor Moon. You transformed and bitch-slapped him into a wall from what I could figure out. Then we arrived." He kissed her again. "Demando is dead. By my hand. He will never, ever hurt you or scare you ever again."

Usagi looked at Mamoru then kissed him back. Mamoru pressed her back into her pillow and began to slide his hand to her…

"Yeah, don't think so, buddy." Nobuyuki growled in his ear.

Mamoru slanted a look at his Shitennou. "Go away." He enunciated.

Nobuyuki smiled…like a shark. "No."

Usagi began to giggle as Mamoru rolled off her and onto his back, covering his eyes with one arm. "I hate you, you know that."

Jun laughed. "Feeling blue in a certain spot?" Mamoru just glared which caused Jun to laugh harder.

Kazuya stood up and stretched, wincing as muscles complained. He really wasn't designed to be sleeping on floors. "Let's get cleaned up the best we can and get something to eat. Then we can talk."

Neither Nobuyuki nor Usagi had clothes that would fit the others, so they went for the simplest solution. In separate rooms, they stripped off their civilian clothes then transformed into their Senshi and Shitennou forms. Jupiter didn't trust anyone to do things right so she started the laundry herself then began making breakfast. While she was doing that, the others told Usagi what had happened since Demando first attacked.

Usagi listened as they described meeting Sailor Pluto, going to Crystal Tokyo and meeting King Endymion. The guys described, with much editing of certain things, how they rescued Usagi from Nemesis. The girls told how Emeraude attacked the Palace in the form of a dragon and how they defeated her. Emeraude had attacked just after Endymion and the Shitennou left to rescue Usagi.

Venus shook her head sadly. "I could tell that she loved Demando a great deal. And she went mad when he captured you because she finally realized that she meant absolutely nothing to him."

"So why didn't she attack me?"

Venus shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps she knew that if she did attack you, he would kill her slowly and painfully."

Mercury sighed. "Still, it was a bit sad that we had to kill Emeraude."

"We had no choice." Said Mars.

Jupiter started setting food on the table. "This won't be the last difficult decision we'll have to make."

Venus nodded. "It's only the beginning."

Usagi sighed. "It certainly is." She looked at her family that surrounded her. "I have my memories back. The moon kingdom, meeting Endymion…not wanting to become Sailor Moon."

Venus stared at her princess. "Do you still not want to be Sailor Moon?"

Usagi pulled at a loose thread on her skirt. "I'm not the same person that I was back then. I don't like the idea that people have to die. I'd like to make things better, happier. But I know that I won't always be able to do that. But, I think learning how to be Sailor Moon will be a good start on everyone's happiness and future." She looked up. "Will you help me? Please."

Endymion pulled his beloved into his arms and kissed her soundly. "We will help you. We will ALWAYS be by you side."

Usagi smiled back and leaned in for more of his kisses.

While they didn't live the traditional "Happily Ever After" they were happy despite the other villains that came to attack them and their planet. They won their battles, often with great difficulty. They made new friends in the form of Sailor Pluto, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn. They survived the Great Sleep and built a new civilization for humanity.

_Usagi never again saw the family that she was born into but happily lived with the family that she had found in Mamoru, Minako and Kazuya, Nobuyuki and Makoto, Jun and Rei, and Soichiro and Ami…not to mention the many children she and the girls gave birth to._

_So, in Usagi's heart…she did live Happily Ever After._


End file.
